1967 Chevy C10 - The Show

Ready For The Custom Truck Hall Of Fame!

It's not a mirage and it's not some experiment with Photoshop. No, this '67 Chevy C10 looks just like Howard "Howie" Kendrick was hoping it would look like when he recruited Aaron Iha to build it for him in the fall of 2008. As a professional baseball player for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Howard may have a little more resources than most of us, but what he shares is a passion for custom trucks and the need for his rides to show his individuality. Much like a ball player's journey through the minor league farm system, this classic Chevy received its fair share of cuts, scrapes, and coaching. Once the call was made to bring it up into the major leagues, Howard didn't give Aaron strict guidelines to follow, but rather he allowed the builder to fulfill a dream for both men and create a one-of-a-kind C10 worthy of the custom truck hall of fame.

Thinking back, Howard tells us he used to see the older guys in high school driving around in their nice cars and trucks, and he too desired a ride that would reflect his personality and style. Along with so many of us, Howard had an all-time favorite truck-the '67 Chevy C10. There was one problem with this truck however-it was very popular and there were so many of them around he was concerned his dream truck wouldn't stand out in a crowd. Wanting something unique, he met up with Aaron Iha, of Chassis by Aaron Iha, and discussed a project buildup. After hearing Howard's design thoughts, Aaron got to work on an arrow-straight '67 Chevy donor truck from Vintage Chevy Trucks, in Fremont, California. Eighteen months later, The Show, as we've dubbed it, is 100 percent complete and ready for its moment of destiny.

Steel is defined as an alloy of iron and carbon, it could also define The Show. The frame, chassis, body, and interior of Howard's Chevy were all built out of sheetmetal. It's impossible to have a shop named Chassis, without paying close attention to the frame and suspension. Immediately after our issue 7 cover shoot, the frame was disassembled, sent out to be powdercoated and the suspension components sent out to be chromed. Upon their arrival, the chassis was meticulously assembled using Grade 8 and 10 hardware of equal length-meaning each bolt and nut perfectly matches the corresponding side with number of visible threads and bolt head direction. Going the extra mile never looked so good.

As we mentioned earlier, the classic C10 looked beautiful in raw steel, but the Chassis by Aaron team had bigger plans for the truck than just setting a raw body on a nice chassis. Those plans included finishing the interior, getting the truck running, and painting the Chevy a classy, yet custom color. Once the cover shoot was wrapped up, the truck's body was prepped by John Torrance and then delivered to Detroit Auto Body, in Covina, California, for a coating in '03 Audi Denim Blue Pearl. After the beautiful hue was color-sanded and buffed to a glistening shine, the Chassis by Aaron crew installed the in-house-fabricated stainless steel grille inserts, hot-rod mirrors, new glass, weatherstripping, and then they began assembling the interior.

Inside the extended doors, Aaron delivered the Chevy to Rogelio's Auto Upholstery, in Baldwin Park, California, where the all-steel, custom-made, power bench seat received foam and light grey leather interior, with a subtle white suede insert and was then finished off with blue French stitching. Each door panel was also painted and then covered with matching leather. The small billet door handles actuate the door poppers, which in turn release the C10 door latches. Last described as looking like a traditional C10 and a BMW had offspring, the sheetmetal dash was coated in the stunning blue pigment, the Autometer gauges were wired up, and the Pioneer head unit was plugged in and ready to send signals to the full complement of Memphis Audio equipment. Two Memphis 10-inch subs are behind the seat and flank a huge Memphis Audio amp. Tilting the power bench seat forward reveals a nice contrast to the light leather bench seat with a black-leather-wrapped sheetmetal sub enclosure. Black carpet and a matching black-leather-wrapped Bonspeed billet steering wheel round out the super-clean interior.

Howard has a certain affinity for speed and when creating his version of the ultimate classic Chevy, he wanted serious horsepower. That power comes courtesy of a 6.0L equipped with a polished MagnaCharger supercharger. Ensuring the LS V-8 runs as good as it looks, Steve DeNunzio stuffed the block with JE pistons and rods, added a Comp cam, bolted on a set of Z06 heads along with Edelbrock headers for a combination that sends The Show into warp speed with a touch of the drive-by-wire throttle. MSD Ignition coils and wires, along with a Painless LS wiring harness controls the mayhem. Creating spinning art, Turnkey Engine Supply, in Oceanside, California, fabbed up a set of billet pulleys for the small-block. Aaron fabbed the polished intake tube and capped it off with a Spectre high-flow filter. Aaron then TIG-welded a 3-inch exhaust system with Magnaflow mufflers for a rumble that more closely resembles a dragster than a hot-rod truck. Under the hood, anything that could be polished or chromed, was. The long list of custom under-the-hood-parts includes: '99-era hood latch, sheetmetal hood hinges that perfectly match the pyramid-style front and rear control arms, and polished coil brackets for a super-wide engine appearance. Underneath the sheetmetal bed, Aaron TIG-welded a stainless steel fuel cell to house the high-octane fuel needed to roast the Nitto tires. After a ride in this beast, I can attest, it's quick enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and applaud.

With so much attention to detail paid to each and every square-inch of the truck, it was a huge accomplishment to take The Show out for its maiden voyage. During our final photo shoot, the good Lord blessed us with an amazing sunset fitting for such a phenomenal truck. Looking better in person than it ever could in pictures, the truck always brings a smile to Howard's face, especially when he drives to the ballpark. It's a sight for sore eyes in the player's parking lot-murdered-out Mercedes, drop-top Ferrari, Lambo with big wheels, and then a laid out, handbuilt C10 that makes every player on the team do a double take. That, my friends, is priceless.